AU has increased efforts to ensure that students make safe decisions concerning alcohol consumption during the presidential inauguration festivities in response to the D.C. Council's decision to extend the hours of operation for more than 200 D.C. bars.
Dean of Students Robert Hradsky sent a letter to the parents of AU students before the start of the semester that advised them to talk with their students about making responsible choices regarding alcohol use. In the e-mail, he said students should recognize that excessive drinking makes individuals more vulnerable to injury, abuse and sexual assault.
More than 200 bars registered with the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration will be permitted to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. between Jan. 17 and Jan. 21. Bars within the District that were not approved for the Inaugural events are only permitted to serve alcohol until the usual 3 a.m. deadline for weekends and 2 a.m. closing time on weekdays.
The extended hours are in accordance with a bill first proposed by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Many bars will also be permitted to remain open 24 hours to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks to customers, according to Wilson Reynolds, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for Adams Morgan.
Erin Lauer, a senior in the School of International Service, said she intends to take advantage of the city's extended nightlife during the upcoming week.
"I'm planning on going out to the bars to celebrate if for no other reason than to simply see everyone else who will be there," she said. "Allowing bars and businesses to remain open later during the week will help make up for the financial costs of the Inauguration. If I can go out and spend a few bucks to keep D.C. afloat, then I'll take one for the team."
While the majority of the bars permitted to serve alcohol at later hours are located in areas such as Dupont Circle, other neighborhoods where many AU students would often access bars, such as in Georgetown and Adams Morgan, will maintain limits on the hours of operation for bars in order to better address the safety and noise concerns of neighborhood residents, according to Reynolds.
"My feeling is that the overall extension of alcohol sales does not place an undue burden on the community," Reynolds said. "The unknown question is, what will be the turn-out, and will the number of people celebrating on the streets be offset by the proper number of police."
Hradsky's letter said access to public transportation will be very limited during the week's events. It also said students should carry hard copies of important phone numbers for campus services and Public Safety in the event that the influx of visitors to the area will limit cell phone service, according to the letter.
Lauer said she also thinks the weekend's events will pose certain safety concerns.
"In regards to students' safety, I don't think people realize just how much traffic there will be and how little access there will be to public transportation," she said. "As a result, if people drink too much and return to campus, it'll be more difficult for their friends or their Resident Assistants to call for a medical transport if they need it."
AU will send students further instructions later in the week on how to guarantee their safety, according to AU Public Safety Chief Michael McNair.
If a student is unable to receive an ambulance transport in a timely manner in the event of an emergency during the four days of inaugural events, Public Safety has arranged for an officer to be available for transportation from campus to Sibley Hospital, according to Hradsky's letter.
"Sibley and other hospitals, however, are concerned that their services may be stretched during the week," McNair said. "Students should also arrange for necessary non-emergency hospital appointments to be held prior to the Inauguration events, otherwise they may have to wait until the end of the week."
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